Reba McEntire was among the honorees at the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, and artists from across the spectrum provided some of the highlights of the night with their various tributes to the country music icon.

The 41st Kennedy Center Honors Gala took place on Sunday, Dec. 2 in Washington, D.C., preceded by a dinner and red carpet event on Dec. 1. The ceremony aired on CBS on Wednesday night (Dec. 26), honoring the cultural contributions of McEntire alongside Cher, composers Wayne Shorter and Phillip Glass, Hamilton co-writer Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and music director Alex Lacamoire. Gloria Estefan hosted the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018, a year after she was honored in 2017.

Clarkson gave one of the most powerful tributes to McEntire, who is her mother-in-law. The pop superstar delivered an emotional speech about McEntire before tearing into a supercharged rendition of her 1990 hit "Fancy" that brought the house down.

"If we're all being honest, sometimes when we meet our heroes it doesn't always pan out how you hope," Clarkson said, "but meeting Reba, being friends with her and eventually becoming family has been one of the highlights of my life — truly."

Check out the highlights from McEntire's big night in the gallery below.